A Thin Line Between Love and Rivalry
by jenthehedgehog
Summary: When Sasuke is acting different than usual towards Naruto, it awakens a set of feelings inside of him that he is not sure that he understands or even likes. As the tempations take over does Naruto still like Sasuke as a friendly rival or more... SasuNaru
1. Chapter 1

I have not submitted anything in...months and months but with the stress of GCSE's actually going down and with less work to do here I am. I have never wrote a Naruto fanfiction before but as I have really gotten into it lately I thought I should try...and they will probably all be Naruto from here on. I hope I keep the characters in..well character! Also an OC appears next chapter..but I am trying not to make her main at all and keeping her in it as least as posible but I need her for my storyline. Nothing else to say but enjoy!

Disclaimer: Nothing is owned by me.

A Thine Line Between Love and Rivalry

A SasuNaru fic

Chapter One

An Unwanted Arrival of Feelings and More

"I've got you. Idiot." Sasuke Uchiha breathed exasperated as he pressed his kunai lightly but hard enough to threaten against Naruto Uzumaki's neck. The closeness of Sasuke's lips to his and the warm feeling of the raven haired boy's breath rippling his skin made Naruto uncomfortable and unsure of his opponents next actions. Staring into Sasuke's cold, black eyes gave neither any help or comfort as they completely lacked both emotion and answers. However the orange clad shinobi could find no other place to look. Not wanting to shift his own passionate sapphire orbs in case the slight movement triggered the kunai to cut deep into him, or moving down to Sauske's slightly parted lips would cause them to strangely crash down on to his. Frankly, Naruto was not sure which would be worse.

"Okay then boys, you can stop killing each other now." Kakashi Hatake sighed, giving his students quick, seemingly uninterested glances from above his always present book, before almost immediately turning back to the story.

Naruto's momentary relief at his sensei's words of ending the awkward and precarious position he was in vanished as he felt no movement or intention to get off him on his rival's part.. Instead, Sasuke smirked. Slowly removing the kunai from his team-mate's neck he leaned his face dangerously closer to the cautious Naruto who was in no position to escape. The sweat from their extensive battle now visible in small droplets on Sasuke's otherwise flawless forehead, and a strong smell now arrived with the action. A smell that was neither pleasant or otherwise, but one Naruto could only describe as simply Sasuke. The shinobi did not mind it, or at least minded it less than the lips that were now only millimetres from his.

Closing his eyes, Naruto flinched. His heart racing faster than it should and an unnatural sensation spread down his body. Nothing else happened with his eyes closed which unnerved Naruto even more. In his head he tried desperately to distract himself from thinking of the situation he was currently within. Thoughts of Sakura, Ramen and dreams to be Hokage darted in and out of his mind as he considered everything but the raven above him.

"I win."

Those two simple words shook Naruto violently from his thoughts, causing his eyes to snap open. It was then he realised Sasuke had begun to remove himself from him, having achieved all he was set out to do. Beat Naruto in their training battle, and to of course remind him of it afterwards. But just those two words. Not much of a taunt.. Just those two words whispered to him in such a way that was almost seductive. Which was a strange way for Sasuke to act, and even stranger that it was directed towards Naruto. So unnatural that it could yet have been all imagined, but at the same time Sasuke's scent was all too real and distinctive to be illusory.

And even more strange, if that could be possible, lying alone stationary on the Konoha training ground floor now that Sasuke had moved and now stood with Sakura and Kakashi, Naruto had discovered that he missed the warmth of his rival's breath on his skin, and that realisation was disturbing.

"Naruto!" A sharp female voice that was unmistakeably Sakura's rang through Naruto's ears but somehow he managed to ignore the sound. Instead focusing on the many speculations about himself that were determined not to leave him alone. Why, now Sasuke had gotten off him which was what he wanted all along, was he feeling as though he craved the weight on top of him again? Did he have previously unknown, unthought-of feelings for Sasuke that strayed deep beyond friendship, or did he just miss the warmth of the other. As he suddenly noticed it had become fairly cold, and that his orange jacket did not quite do the job of keeping him at a comfortable temperature.

Yes, that must have been it. He just missed the warmth, the smell…

"Naruto get up now!" Sakura yelled again with a clearly annoyed tone to her voice that Naruto could not ignore any more. It was always best to try and keep on the good side of the female unless you want to feel her fist against your cheek. Naruto didn't..

Naruto groaned faintly to himself as he sat up, realising that his back was in a fair bit of pain from when Sasuke had threw him onto the ground, what seemed like hours ago. Stretching his arms and flexing his back he waited for the familiar click to ensure all his bones were in the right position before leaping to his feet. His pain had already vanished, an advantage of having the nine tailed fox sealed up inside of him.

"H-hey Sakura, what's up?" Naruto shakily asked his pink haired team mate who threw him a scowl in return.

"What do you mean what's up? Its MY fight with you next. Prepare to get beat!" Sakura replied, her round face becoming suddenly excited as she punched the air in her trademark pose.

"Erm.. Yeah that's right." Naruto stammered. To be honest he did not feel too good. His head felt extremely light and dizzy, and he was unsure whether he could make it through another match. Even if it was only against Sakura who he usually beat fairly easily.

However he was not one to ever turn down a challenge especially when Sasuke was watching. Naruto felt as though he had to constantly prove his skills could be as great as his rival's, and for some reason wanting Sasuke to accept him as a worthy opponent was high on his priority list. Although he could never work out why this was so.

Taking his place on the opposite side of the field to Sakura, Naruto put himself into a moderately defensive pose, keeping himself on his toes. Skimming his eyes quickly over to where Sasuke and Kakashi stood, Naruto began to feel quite angered at the fact that the raven boy appeared to find the ground underneath his feet more fascinating than the battle about to happen. Kakashi of course was buried in his book, and Naruto expected nothing less of his Sensei. Knowing that even if it seemed as though he was not watching, Kakashi had a way of seeing everything that has gone on. But Sasuke on the other hand was just not paying any attention. Naruto gritted his teeth, tightening the knot on his headband. He would give Sasuke Uchiha something to watch.

As Sakura charged towards him at full force Naruto only just managed to dodge in time, almost toppling over in the process. Annoyed at his own performance he cursed under his breath, full aware that at the current moment his balance was not quite up to the level that it should be. His light headedness was obviously to blame. Unable to think completely clearly, as Naruto jumped out of the way of a shuriken that was sent hurtling towards him, he failed to notice the fist about to make impact to his skull.

Naruto felt himself falling backwards, quickly beginning to loose consciousness. The landscape around him was dancing frantically around him as the world became a total blur.

"Idiot." He managed to decipher a amused voice say before everything went black.

"Oh! I think he's waking now."

Naruto's eyes opened slowly, waiting until the figures above him had stopped being blurred montages of colour and became actual solid shapes. The closest was Sakura, bent over him with a half guilty half proud expression adorning her face. She extended a welcoming arm out to the slightly dazed Konoha ninja witch Naruto accepted gratefully. He allowed Sakura to pull him up surprisingly gently before letting go of her slightly rough hand, brushing stray dirt off his clothes.

"You were completely lame Naruto." Sasuke shook his head in disbelief, drawing out the word 'lame' as though to emphasize it, "How could you have gotten beat with one punch?"

Naruto folded his arms across his chest and glared at Sasuke, even though he realised it was no real form of reply. What was he supposed to say? That he felt dizzy? That he was rendered useless at Sauske's effortless charm? Okay, that was an exaggeration. But whether he wanted to acknowledge it or not Sasuke did have a large amount of charisma that he obviously was not afraid to use. Naruto would never allow it to captivate him completely though, he liked Sakura. He had no romantic feelings for boys. Although, he was unsure of Sauske's personal preference. He had never seen Sasuke try to mesmerize a girl before, in fact he had never seen him trying to attract anyone. Maybe Naruto had imagined it then. It was the only thing that made sense. But why would he want to imagine Sasuke instead of Sakura or any girl…

A high pitched squeal knocked Naruto out of his thoughts, and he scratched his head in an absent minded manner. He had done an awful lot of thinking in the past few hours, more than he usually does in a month. Naruto decided that it was not good for him. He turned his attention to the owner of the squeal instead who was obviously Sakura.

"So as I beat Naruto so easily, do you think I have become so much more stronger then Sasuke?" She cried in an excited, almost singsong voice leaping from one foot to another in front of her blatantly unimpressed desire.

"No." Sasuke said simply, raising an eyebrow as though he was amazed Sakura could not see it herself, "Naruto is still much better than you are. That was pure luck, I don't think he was properly with it. You might as well stop dreaming, you will never surpass him."

Naruto stared at Sasuke both equally shocked and confused. That was either a compliment to him, which did not seem likely and he half sniggered at the concept, or a massive criticism of Sakura. The latter made more sense, but it made Naruto feel disgusted at the way Sasuke treated their team mate. There was many other, nicer, ways to be honest than to take a enormous blow to their confidence and self esteem. However to Naruto's surprise it seemed to have no real effect on Sakura. Her face fell slightly for a moment before lighting up again with some kind of new found fuel.

"But of course YOU beating Naruto wasn't a fluke, you were amazing Sasuke! Totally amazing, your jutsu must be the best I have ever seen and you won so easily." She continued to Sasuke's distaste and Naruto's amusement that he did not seem to be enjoying all the attention he received.

Of course he was also annoyed that Sakura seemed to idolise the raven boy so much, in Naruto's opinion he was not that much better than him. Apart from in the looks department maybe, as Sasuke was mysteriously handsome. Not that Naruto noticed this in a loving way like Sakura, but instead he was rather jealous. It was not fair that one boy could have the looks and power, with a harem to boot. Especially as Sasuke did not seem to appreciate any of it.

" Hmph, it wasn't that amazing. It was close." Sasuke replied uninterested before turning away from Sakura with a frown, signifying that the conversation was now over.

Naruto couldn't stifle his smile. Now to him, that was definitely some form of Sasuke-compliment. But again, why this meant so much he was unsure.

"Hmm, I think it would be best to finish now," Kakashi who had previously kept quiet spoke, putting his book away. " I don't think Naruto can take any more beatings for today. Training dismissed."

Naruto sighed of relief, thankful that he was spared any more embarrassment for the day and that he did not have to see any more of Sasuke. Because whether the Uchiha knew it or not, he was sending him crazy.

"Right, don't forget. Meet here at 8am tomorrow sharp. We have a mission to take." Kakashi said, yawning slightly. Naruto made a mental note to arrive a few hours later.

"So, wanna hang out for a while Sasuke?" Sakura asked with a honey tone to her voice, fluttering her eyelashes in an unattractive manner, "Just the two of us? It's still only eleven, we can go shopping!"

"No way, with just two people it would look like some sort of date," Sasuke replied, darting his eyes towards Naruto and resting them there, "but I may consider if Naruto was going too."

Naruto felt as shocked as Sakura looked only concealed it better than the female, not wanting to turn an unflattering shade of crimson while those ebony eyes still stared at him. Why was he saying this? Yes, I suppose he could go as far as saying they were both friends of sorts, but…

"But…what? Why Naruto?" Sakura whined, "I wanted it to be just me and you."

Sasuke shifted his eyes back to Sakura and Naruto, removing a huge weight from on top of him. He felt much more relaxed when he was not under his rival's watch.

"There is no way I would ever just go out with you Sakura, I have already made that clear. I do not want speculations that we are together," Sasuke glared, becoming slightly temperamental, "but I would go if Naruto came too. He is the only other person I can just stand in this place, and to be honest I do need a new jumper."

Sasuke turned to Naruto, his expression still impossible to read, and Naruto desperately wanted to know what the raven boy was actually thinking.

"So, are you up to it Naruto?" Sakura half sighed, knowing that she could see no other solution to spending time with Sasuke at the current moment.

"Erm-" Naruto started but was cut off by an unfamiliar, teasing female voice.

"Why aren't I invited on this guys?"

Thats it for this chapter, please tell me if you want me to continue ^^ Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for reviewing the last chapter everyone, it made me happy ^^ I hope you all enjoy this one!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter two

Introductions and rather interesting induces.

Team seven turned to look at the strange girl that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, with a wide grin on her face as though she had known the three for years.

"Oh yes, sorry I forgot. This is Mizuki. She will be with our team for a little while for her training." Kakashi said hurriedly, "As well as you all helping her skills improve I thought she might be a good influence on you all, especially you Sasuke. It might get you to socialise more."

Sasuke merely scowled in return, like he thought the whole idea was ridiculous. By nature he was not one of the most sociable people, preferring his own company to others.

"Care to introduce yourself to team seven then Mizuki?"

"Sure!" Mizuki winked, causing Sakura to narrow her eyes slightly, " Obviously my name is Mizuki and I just graduated from the academy. I like pop music, kittens, and…cute things."

Sakura stared at Mizuki as though she was dirt, turning up her nose as she looked her up and down, obviously thinking that she was another rival for Sasuke's love. Even though, Sasuke looked like he could not care less for her, like she was just another annoyance to him.

Naruto, wasn't too sure what to make of her. She did not have the prettiest face he had even seen, with a slightly uneven complexion and thin lips. Although she had obviously tried to hide her flaws under a layer of makeup. Her long chestnut hair was tied in two bunches on top of her head, kept together with a crimson ribbon. Mizuki was dressed in a pale green jumper with a kitten emblazed across the front, and a pair of tight blue jeans, not the most practical wear for ninjas. However, he had no reason to dislike her, apart from he found her over hyper activeness slightly tiring. It reminded him of when he was younger, although now at sixteen years old he had matured greatly.

" You sure we have to have…her…with us Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura pleaded glaring at Mizuki, "there is something suspicious about this that I do not like."

"I kind of agree with Sakura," Sasuke nodded, ignoring the gasp of adoration from pink haired girl, "This is all a bit weird. She's too friendly."

"C'mon team, I'm just trying to lighten the mood!" Mizuki exclaimed laughing, somehow managing to be oblivious to the huge cloud of doubt that surrounded her. Sasuke shook his head, backing away from the girl slightly as though he could not bear to be around her.

"How long is it for?" Naruto asked casually, running his left hand through his mop of blond hair. He still hadn't made his mind up, but like Sakura said, he felt something was not quite right.

"It's just for a week, that is all." Kakashi answered, his only visible eye scanning his team in wonder, "I never imagined that any of this would be a problem."

"Oh, it's not! Nice to meetcha Mizuki." Naruto replied hurriedly before any of his team had a chance to hurt the girl's feelings, holding out his hand which Mizuki shook gratefully.

"Nice to meet you too."

"Maybe you should take Mizuki shopping with you?" Kakashi suggested causing Sakura's face to screw up like she was in pain, "it would be a good chance to bond."

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm actually busy today," Mizuki said with such sincerity Naruto would have swore that she was actually telling the truth and did not just notice Sakura's expression, "I only came round to meet you all."

"Well that was nice of you wasn't it?" Sakura said with a forced, fake smile oozing sarcasm, "but we really need to get going now. See you tomorrow…Mizuki."

Mizuki just nodded in return, her smile completely vanished as she watched Sakura march at a great pace out of the training ground, Sasuke following suite. Naruto flashed Mizuki an apologetic look before racing after his team. As much as he felt bad about leaving her there, something definitely was not right.

The high street in Konoha was quite small in comparison to other places, but it held a fair amount of decent shops. Too much even if you asked Naruto as he did not particularly enjoy shopping, and neither did Sasuke judging by the already fed up look on his face. But, as the weather constantly reminded him winter was looming and Naruto's winter wardrobe was a little empty. Now he thought about it, he didn't even own a scarf. Luckily for him being a Chunin ranked ninja earned him a fair wage, and he could afford to restock his clothing supplies.

The three walked down the high street until they came to the only clothing store Sasuke said he would consider buying from. It's name was Temptations, and Naruto half expected the display window to hold scantily clad models in skimpy lingerie and maybe some kinky instruments of some kind. He was far from right. It was just an average display window with normal clothing adorning it. Naruto wasn't sure what set this place apart from the rest. That until he looked at the price tag…

Inside the store Sakura treated it as though it was heaven. The amount of pastel coloured items in the female section was sickening in Naruto's opinion, but obviously not to Sakura. He watched as she commented on the shape and style of each item that caught her eye, stroking each fabric delicately to find out the softest texture. He remembered to compliment her each time she held a piece up against her perfectly shaped body, waiting for the sweet smile that followed after his words. Even though sometimes Naruto still annoyed her, Sakura no longer thought he was just a stupid kid and actually valued him greatly as a friend. Even though she sometimes forgets to show it. And Naruto just thought Sakura was simply beautiful.

As Sakura entered the changing rooms arms laden with clothes, Naruto turned his attention to Sasuke who he had not paid any notice to since they entered the shop. The Uchiha just stood in the safety of the menswear, completely still, not even looking at any of the clothing around him. He had probably been like that since they came in.

"Didn't you want a new jumper?" Naruto asked casually walking over to Sasuke, "haven't you seen anything you liked?"

Sasuke shrugged and scanned the clothing rails, his eyes resting on a plain black woolly jumper.

"This will do." He decided, finding his size and picking it up.

"Black again?" Naruto looked at Sasuke incredulously, shaking his head, "Why don't you try some colour?"

Sasuke looked Naruto up and down, a smirk appearing on his face which suddenly made him feel uncomfortable. It was the same smirk as before, and again he could not tell what the thoughts behind it was. A knot formed in his throat as Sasuke replaced the jumper, and began to stride confidently towards Naruto, a slight sway to his hips as he moved. Which again, was not at all like Sasuke, but this time he knew he was not imagining it. Automatically Naruto took a small step backwards like a frightened lamb, slightly nervous about what was going to happen. Sasuke realised this and moved quicker, catching up to Naruto and resting his hand on his shoulder to prevent him from going any further.

"Hmm…" Sasuke considered making Naruto recoil, "colour?"

Naruto held in his breath tightly as he felt a long finger slowly trace down his body, pressing harder as it reached his chest. Naruto remained still, unmoving. Too scared to let out that gasp that was begging to escape, his heart beating uncontrollably pounding inside it's cage. The finger turned into a whole hand that rested upon Naruto's heart, not showing any signs of going.

"Colour…like this orange?" Sasuke asked fake innocently, changing his hand into a single finger again and caressing the vivid orange jacket that Naruto was clothed in. The stuck shinobi began to let out his breath in short uneven intervals, nervous about the uncomfortable situation he was in. Uncomfortable but not entirely unenjoyable. Although he never imagined that Sasuke would touch Naruto in such a gentle way, and that the dangerous smirk that had not yet resigned from his face he could not deny that the foreign touch he was receiving felt quite pleasant. Just like when the raven was previously on top of him. Was it this instead of nerves that set his heart racing at 200mph? However Naruto could still not begin to explain the feelings that he had in the moments like this. They were completely new and unrecognised by his mind. The type of feelings that completely set all of his senses on fire, and each fresh touch by Sasuke adding to the fuel.

"I don't think it would suit me like it does you, idiot," Sasuke continued, removing his hand from Naruto's chest and instead placing it on the thick, cream fur that was a new addition to the top of the jacket and stroking it fondly, "but I wouldn't mind this bit."

Suddenly to Naruto's shock Sasuke leaned over close to the orange shinobi and buried the side of his face into the fur, his head leaning on Naruto's shoulder as he did so and the Sasuke-smell again present in his nostrils. Sasuke let out a low purr as his cheek became encased in the soft material, rubbing himself against it relishing the feeling. Naruto quickly jumped back at the sound of the unlikely nose which was the predecessor of an equally unlikely action. Naruto's sudden movement startling Sasuke, who nearly toppled over before regaining his balance. The raven ninja's smirk vanishing as he saw the half confused half angry look on his team mate's face.

Naruto did not know what to make of anything that Sasuke had done in the past five minutes, and also before on the training ground. What was the Uchiha trying to achieve from these brief, strange encounters. It was almost like he was trying to flirt with him. And Naruto may have came to that conclusion if he did not know Sasuke better. Sasuke did not flirt. Ever. So it had to be something else. He stared into the ever-cold eyes of Sasuke, who smirked again when he realised Naruto was trying, and failing to figure him out.

"Okay Sasuke, what the hell is going on?" Naruto finally decided to ask in a surprisingly calm-ish tone of voice, pointing his index finger accusingly at him, "why are you doing these things to me?"

Sasuke swallowed, twisted his hair and adjusted his headband. Suddenly realising that this must have made him look either suspicious or edgy he regained composure. Folding his arms and glaring back callously at the blond, who immediately noticed the change back to the normal Sasuke. The predictable, cold hearted bastard whose usual contact with Naruto was a punch not a caress. Naruto could not stifle his sigh of relief.

"Doing what things idiot?" Sasuke growled through gritted teeth, "what are you on about?"

Naruto was about to reply when a high pitched giggle erupted from the changing rooms.

"So boys, what do you think?" Sakura asked, strutting out of the changing area and striking a pose. Fluttering her eye lashes and pouting purposely exaggeratedly. She was clad in a much more feminine outfit than what she would usually wear, showing that she had been recently experimenting with style. Her top was long with frills at the sleeves but other than that it was plain white, and her skirt was short, pleated and of a bright orange colour.

"You look great Sakura!" Naruto cried blushing slightly, and Sakura beamed.

"What do you think Sas-uke?" she asked cutely, winking.

Sasuke frowned, staring her up and down.

"you are wearing a bright orange," he stated, furrowing his brow and glaring at the innocent female whose face fell rapidly, "you should leave that to Naruto, he is the only one who can pull it off. If I was you."

With those words Sasuke took one final glare at Sakura before turning and exiting the shop, leaving Naruto and Sakura still remaining. One looking incredulously at the door, while the other close to tears.

Thanks for reading!


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